If you ask me, world-class marketing is founded on three core principles.

The principles are easy to understand, but doing them well requires thought and effort (like all important things).

Luckily, it’s something you can spend the rest of your business life working on.

Here are the three core principles to world-class marketing (and business) as I see them.

1. Be in a category of one

Whatever you do, do it in such a way that you have no direct competition.

Be unique, and be specific about it. Claim your stake in the sand as being the absolute best at delivering what you offer.

It doesn’t need to be complicated. It could be something entirely intangible, such as being the coworking space for introverts.

Or it could something highly specific, like being a coworking space for freelance stenographers in Cleveland, Ohio.

Yes, it goes without saying that enough people actually need to value your uniqueness. There’s no point in being uniquely unappreciated.

So assuming you pick something people value, the goal then is to make your value proposition specific enough that nobody else offers the same thing.

You’re in a Category of One.

You may still serve the same target market at other spaces, but you do it in such a way that nobody competes on your level for the thing you claim as yours.

It comes down to specificity in your uniqueness. Own it.

2. Deliver on your uniqueness relentlessly

Great marketing stems from being remarkable, as Seth Godin says in his book, Purple Cow (give it a read).

Being remarkable starts with picking things your target market value and over-delivering on those few things until you’re in a Category of One.

Relentlessly delivering on your uniqueness makes your marketing powerful in and of itself. All you need to do then is report on it.

Your marketing becomes about the demonstration of your uniqueness, not simply lip service.

Which brings us to the third principle.

3. Communicate your specific uniqueness consistently

Once you figure out what specific thing sets you apart, make that point consistently everywhere you go.

If you’re a dog-friendly coworking space for parents with young children, make your marketing all about dogs, kids, and being a working parent.

Eventually, people will catch on to your idea (directly and indirectly). Your uniqueness becomes distinct.

People who want it are attracted to you and can’t get it anywhere else.

Those who don’t love your position will either join or not regardless, especially if it’s “close enough”.

Do these three things and the money will take care of itself.